Hair Design in Middle-earth: A Collection of Style How-to’s

So you want to look like Arwen Evenstar, famous for her undying beauty? I’ll teach you how. First, prep your hair with a deep moisturizing treatment, like Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor. Neutrogena Overnight Therapy Replenishing Treatment works just as well, too. Leave it on overnight, and when you wake up, wash it out.

There are two different hairstyles that Arwen wears:
long, loose curls; and straight.

To achieve the straight look, apply a straightening gel or spray to your hair. Use a flat paddle brush, turn your head upside down, and focus on drying your hair roots. When your hair is about 80% dry, divide it into sections: top and bottom, and 4 sections for both top and bottom. Dry each individual section straight. When you are done, spray with a shine spray (Clynol Hair Shine Spray was used in the film, but any shine enhancer works).

To get the wavy hairstyle, braid big braids on wet hair, and coat them with a mixture of curl enhancer (like Pantene Pro-v Scrunching Gel), and extra-strength hair gel. Dry with hairdryer until it is about 75% dry. Then, lightly spray with extra-hold hairspray, and continue drying. Undo the braids, and spray with hairspray. Also finish with shine spray.

The makeup that was used in the film was used to make an natural look that still seemed elegant. If you don’t have any of these products at a store near you, you can improvise and get a product that you can find, and feel free to PM me with any questions about what else would work.

First, coat skin with a foundation (MAC Studio Finish Matte Foundation), and use cover-up on any imperfections. Then, press on a powder (Lancôme Photogenic powder). Brush a blush on the apples of your cheeks (in the movies, MAC Sheertone Blush in Pink Swoon was used). Then, dap on a sheer, berry-colored lipstick/gloss (Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey).

For eyes, swipe a light beige or white eyeshadow from lids to eyebrows (MAC Velvet Eyeshadow in Vanilla), and apply a bronze color on the crease of your eyelids (MAC Frost Powder Blush in Spice). Finish with a coat of dark brown, or black mascara.

~ FallenAngel26

Arwen’s Dreamy Hairstyle

Ever notice when Arwen appears in Aragorn’s dreams, her hairstyles, along with her clothes, have a certain “dreamy” type of look? It’s her beautiful elvish hairstyle of course! It’s very simple to get yours the same way, just follow the simple 6 steps below.

Step 1 – First wash your hair. Shampoo it and condition it well to get your hair nice and soft. Pantene Pro-V always works best.

Step 2 – Then dry it with your towel well enough that your hair isn’t dripping water, and put a Frizz gel in your hair after you’ve combed it. Concentrate on the ends ONLY, then bunch your hair up together and put some on the ends altogether. If you have a small amount left, put it on top your head to make it smooth. I recommend Got 2 B Frizz Gel, as it also gives your hair some shine.

Step 3 – Comb your hair and make one part on the back of your head so you have half of your hair on one shoulder and the other half on the next side. Comb both sides well so there are no knots, and tie them with tight scrunchy so your hair has pig tails facing down. Now, braid both sides and tie up the ends with a rubber band or another small scrunchy. Take any styling gel, and heavily gel your braids and the remaining gel in your hands, put on top your head.

Step 4 – Now heavily use hair spray on your hair, mostly concentrating on your braids, front and back, and also spray the top part too. Leave it like that overnight and when you wake up, take out the braids and let your hair loose. Your hair should be straight on top, and when your hair runs down to your ears, it should be all scrunchy. Do not comb or gel your hair.

Step 5 – Take a small part of your hair on both sides in front and bring it back and take a small scrunchy and tie it up. Now take any type of clip, try and get one that is not too wide, but can hold a lot of hair. Take the small pony tail on the back and lift up and put it against the back of your head, and use the clip to clip it. Now fix the rising hair in the back. *Opitional: You can use a curling iron and curl the bits of your hair at the top*

Step 6 – Now you can gel the top of your hair ONLY, and hair spray both the top of your head, and concentrate on your scrunched hair. Your hair is probably still a bit wet, so put lots of hairspray to avoid any huge amount of frizz.

For everyone who likes the braids of Legolas and his fellow elven kin and would like to try their hand at the art, follow these easy steps. The braids that this article teaches are sometimes called Fish Tail Braids, and are located on the back of the head, not on the sides.

Note: This braid works best when hair is half up-half down, not using the entire head of hair.

1) Take the top portion of the hair and group it together, and smooth out any unwanted bumps. Then, separate the hair into two sections. To do this, hold the group of hair with one hand (Hand A) and separate it from underneath with the index finger of the other hand (Hand B).

2) Re-grasp the sections separated by your index finger with Hand B and use Hand A to separate the hair all of the way to the ends.

3) Separate a small group of hairs from the back (towards the ear) of the right section with Hand A.

Encouraging Note: These steps can be confusing, but don’t give up! Reread until you understand.

4) Take that small group and cross it over it’s original section, and add it to the left hand section. The hair may poof up a bit, but once you get the braid started it will settle down again.

5) For this step you may want to switch hands, but it is not neccesary. Take another small group of hairs from the back (towards the ear) of the left hand section. Just like the right side, cross it over and add it to the right section.

Note: From experience, always hold the crossed over groups in place when you need to fix your hands or untangle the ends.

6) Hold the left section in your left hand, and right section in your right hand. Use your right index finger to separate another group of hairs from the back of the right section.
Cross the group of hairs over into the left section.

7) Now use your left index finger to separate a group of hairs from the back of the left section. Cross the group and add it into the right section.

Repeat steps 6-7, but try to keep the size of the separated groups of hair equal.

Ideas and partial directions came from the book titled Friendship Bands by Marlies Busch and Nadja Layer.

Additional Idea: If you would like to have a bracelet with the same design as this braid, you can use string or hemp. Cut eight strings and tie a not at the top to secure them. (This can work with only six strands as well.) Take the strings and separate them into two groups with an equal number of strings on each side; you will have a center space that is vacant. Take the farthest strand to the left and cross it into the vacant center space. Do the same with the farthest right string. Continue crossing the farthest string into the center until you reach the desired length. *Remember to pull the braid tight as you work!

~ sunshadowsteps

Elven Braids – Lace Hair Braiding

This article is adapted from Dreamweaver Braiding, where you will find step-by-step photos for this and many other types of braiding as well.

~ Scothia

The Lace Braid

Note: this is the kind of braid done on the sides of Legolas’ head, above the ears.

A lace (in this case, a lace across the top) is similar to a French braid, except that you only add new sections of hair to one side of the braid.

Terms to Know:

To cut out wordiness, I have decided to name the webbed area between the fingers.

* Slot 1 is between the thumb and index fingers.
* Slot 2 is between the index and middle fingers.
* Slot 3 is between the middle and ring fingers.
* Slot 4 is between the ring and little fingers.

Right and left hands will be denoted by a capital R or L after the slot number. For example, 1R is between the thumb and index finger of the right hand.

Directions:

Part the hair from the front of the crown to the top of the ear.

Clip off the hair to keep it separated, either the front or the back part. Part the same way on the other side, creating a part the runs all the way across the head in a straight line. Clip off the hair to keep it separated, either the front or the back part.

Part the same way on the other side, creating a part the runs all the way across the head in a straight line.

Clip the entire back section of hair together and free the front half if it was clipped.

Brush the loose hair over the head towards you.

Collect a section of hair at the side of the head farthest from you, and divide it into three strands.

Braid right over middle, left over middle.

Put all three strands in your left hand, with the far left in 1L, middle in 2L and far right in either 3 or 4L.

Gather another section of hair, running all the way from the front of the head to the part, and add it to the strand in 3/4L.

Braid right over middle while pulling the braid gently over the part. This won’t have a noticeable effect at first.

Braid left over middle without adding a section of hair, but still pulling the braid gently over the part.

Continue to add sections on the right but not on the left, gently pulling the braid over the part.

Continue the braid as a simple 3-strand once you have run out of hair to add to the braid.

Longing for those lovely Hobbit tresses? Fashioning them is easier than you think ~ just follow the steps in this article by Lisbeth

You will need:

A Curling Iron (no, you do not need the most up-to-date expensive iron available, as long as it heats up quickly you’ll be fine).

Leave-in conditioner (the spray always works the best, creams tend to be too thick and greasy).

Holding Spray

Directions

First wash your hair, it’s always good to start with a clean slate. Gently towel dry so that your hair is still damp but not sopping wet, and spritz the leave-in conditioner evenly throughout your hair (remember, a little goes a long way). Do not put any of the leave-in conditioner near your hair roots as doing so will make your hair exceedingly greasy and will not produce the desired effect.

Then let your hair dry naturally. Blow-drying will not allow the conditioner to do its job, and too much heat may cause your hair to take on a broom-like appearance.

Once your hair is completely dry, you can begin curling. Curl in sections, starting with the inner part of your hair (i.e. the back of the neck and around the ears). The length of your hair will determine the look of your curls; the ideal for hobbit-like hair is around two inches below the shoulders.

Take strands of hair not larger than an inch wide and wrap them around the barrel of the hot iron. 12-20 seconds is the longest your hair should be on the iron before it is released. When you release the hair let it go freely; do not pull the hair away from the iron slowly or else you will undo your curl.

Contrary to popular belief it is not a good idea to put the holding spray on your curl immediately after it has been released from the iron. Wait until one of your small sections has been curled and has cooled before you spray it. Again, a little goes a very long way. You want your hair to look soft and natural and too much holding spray will make your hair look crusty and hard.

Remember, always curl from the inner layers of your hair to the outside, and be patient, the thicker your hair the longer it will take to curl.

Once you are done, you can easily dress up your pretty curls with ribbons, bows, barrettes, and pins. Now your hair should be as lovely as any fine hobbit lass. Have fun dancing under the Party Tree!

Lady of the Wood Salon: The Galadriel Look

In the book, I have read descriptions of hairstyles Galadriel might have worn. I love doing new things with my hair, so I’ve fixed my hair like I imagined hers as. Now I’m telling you how to do it!

Your hair should be at least to your upper back, fairly straight, and conditioned for this to look the best. I recommend enlisting the help of a friend as I find braiding very tedious.

Before you begin, you may want to crimp your hair. Use a crimping iron, or braid all the hair on your head into thick braids after you wash it at night. Sleep that way, and when you let it all down it’s crimped!

Make a braid about the width of a normal-sized carrot just above one ear, then secure it with a small, natural looking or clear elastic. If your hair is not down to your mid-back, you may want to pull the section of hair straight back instead of braiding it.

Repeat on the other side.

Make about 2-5 random braids, about the width of a pencil, in random places around your head.

Use a clear or natural colored elastic to tie the two braids above your ears together at the back of your head.

A flower crown fit for an Elf Queen!

To create a flower-wreath for your hair …

Get a lot of fresh flowers, such as pretty daisies, and cut their stems so that they are about 3″ long.

Using a pocket knife, cut a slit lengthwise in all but one of the flowers’ stems.

Thread the steams through the slits in each other until the wreath can go all the way around your head.

Thread the flower with no slit through the last flower on the wreath, and use a paper clip to connect it to the first flower. You should now have a circlet of flowers to wear in your hair!

Alternately, you can just stick the flowers into the braids that start above your ears.